Rain Will Fall
by mandaree1
Summary: The first transformations are always the hardest.
1. Jake

**Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon; Jake Long!**

 **Title: Rain Will Fall**

 **Summary: The first transformations are always the hardest.**

 **Warnings: Possibly a bit AU? I haven't found anything on the wiki page pointing to Jake/Haley's first transformations (other than Jake's happening on his 13th birthday and the like) but wiki doesn't always tell the truth, obviously.**

 **...**

Jake Long was a thirteen year old fire-breather.

Now, that may sound stupid or immature, but he wasn't kidding. He could _breathe_ fire. No lie.

It didn't always work though, which kinda sucked. Some days he couldn't manage to breathe enough of it and it felt like his throat was melting under the buildup. Other days... well, he was lucky to get smoke.

He didn't tell anyone about it; it seemed kinda risky to, you know? Grandpa might understand, but he'd just give him one of his weird ancient remedies and he'd never be able to do it again. Gramps was hardcore like that. Dad would either say it was his imagination playing tricks on him or freak out and send him to a therapist. Haley was a tattle-tale, so it would only work against him to tell her even if she _was_ smart enough to figure out how he did it.

And mom... Jake didn't know, actually. She'd always been a bit twitchy about stuff like this.

Besides, people with superpowers were supposed to keep it under wraps, right? Secret identities and all that junk. It was kinda cool to him to have something in common with the comic book guys he loved so much.

So he makes it a point to practice his fire-breathing once a week instead of worrying too much over it. It gets him away for awhile; and it feels incredibly _right_ , watching the targets burn to the ground in a burst of flame.

That... sounded really creepy, now that he thought about it. It didn't sound like that before he'd actually put the thought into being, promise.

Today was technically the day he was supposed to be practicing (not that he has a schedule or anything. Not really. He doesn't write the specific day down anywhere. Therefore, it's not a schedule), but it's freezing cold out and he hates the cold. That, and it's his birthday, so he deserves a day off. (Not that he didn't practice or anything, just not today).

And, okay, he's not going to lie, he's been feeling weird all day. Not bad, per say. Just... prickly. Like something was building up under his skin and won't go away.

It's kind of scary, honestly, but it's not painful, so he lets it slide. He probably just ate to much cake or something.

But then... _it_ happens.

It's kind of a blur, at first. Mom asking him to go to the store for something- what, he can't quite remember-, him shuffling along the street and yanking on the sleeve of his jacket bitterly, the cold making his skin numb, and then suddenly the prickling feeling under his skin reached its bursting point and _he needed to hide_. He didn't know why, exactly, but even he knew better than to ignore his more basic instincts. They were there for a reason, after all.

So he ducked into some random alleyway behind some trash cans, curled up in a ball, and squeezed his eyes shut, praying to whatever deity existed out there that no one from school saw him acting like he was. The last thing he needed was for his street cred to go down the drain on his _birthday_.

There was a flash of red-ish yellow light that reminded him of fire, and then all was quiet. Well, as quiet as it got in the big city, anyway.

Actually, if he were to be honest, everything seemed even louder than usual. His very senses seemed to be more powerful than before, rubbed raw by the light. He lifted his head out of his hands, blinked, then glanced back down.

But his hands weren't hands.

They were claws.

* * *

This had all actually started the day before, when he was practicing his fire-breathing.

Well, attempting to, anyway. Something had felt off the moment he'd set up the targets. His throat was coated with so much heat that, while not painful, it'd been impossible to ignore. The flames had burned much more steadily and brighter than usual as well.

Jake, looking back on it, probably should've had a red flag or two go off, but he didn't. He'd just thought he was getting better at it.

The part about all of this that freaks him out the most about turning into some weird monster thing (what, he's not quite sure yet. He hasn't come across any mirrors as of late. But he has wings though, so that's a bonus) is that he doesn't feel any different from normal. Werecreatures and other monsters like that in the comics always go on and on about how it feels unnatural, changing, being something completely different than what they originally were, but he just _is_. A bit more sensitive, but otherwise unchanged.

Should he be feeling like this? Is there something he's missing here?

As stupid as this must sound, he can't figure out if he's supposed to be on two legs or four. Two legs sound about right in any form he could possibly possess, strange or no, but his back feet kinda look like the back legs you see on a dog or cat, so... whatever. It's too much of a risk for him to stand up and possibly give himself away as he darts around random alleyways, getting himself more and more lost in his desperation.

But then it starts to rain in heavy cold sheets, and Jake starts slowing down. The cold seems to sink beneath his skin and into his very _bones_ , and, instead of shaking like he usually would, he starts getting _sleepy_ of all things instead.

Wait, skin? Jake blinks sluggishly down at his yellow chest. Nope, definitely not skin. Looks a lot like scales, actually, which is pretty cool. It's better than feathers.

Wait... don't creatures with scales typically hibernate when it gets cold out? Oh crud, they totally do, don't they? Jake picked up his pace, gingerly making his way quite comfortably on all fours. It would not do for him to knock out somewhere and have someone like Rotwood find him. How would he explain that one to mom?

"Well, what do we have here?" A gruff voice asked. Two large hands grabbed him by the sides, picked him up, and turned him around. A blue thing that looked a lot like a human but he was _blue_ (and not the cute smurf blue either) grinned at him. "Don't you worry now, I won't hurt ya-"

Jake, in a fit of panic, mostly caused by just how _crazy_ this day has been, rears back and bites his hand. The creature yelps and drops him. He skitters behind some trash cans.

"Ouch." The thing says, waving his hand. "Geez, kid. What did I ever do to you?"

He tries to keep himself awake as the adrenaline fades into fatigue, he really, really does, but it's _cold_ and he's _tired_. The not-smurf digs through his pockets and pulls out a cell phone.

"Yo, Fu. No, this isn't about the money. Put Lao Shi on the phone."

From then on, he could only vaguely hear tidbits of what he was saying.

" _Yes_ , I'm sure. I know what a... looks like."

"Whattaya mean, he can't come? Bring your own hide over here, then!"

"He ain't gonna go with me, Fu. He's too riled up."

Fu? Isn't that the name of Gramp's dog?

Struggling to keep his eyes open, he fixes them on the ground, only to dimly realize a puddle has formed in a hole in the concrete. The rain has died down, and he can see a blurry outline of himself in it.

Oh, he looks sorta like...

Jake blacked out.

* * *

It smells like old radio parts, dust, that weird smell that always ends up clinging to his clothes after a visit to Gramp's store, and that old smell most old people's homes have wafting through the air.

Jake sits up, his eyes covered by what looks and feels like a blanket. He sniffs the air.

"Gramps?"

It's his shop, at least. Jake would know that smell anywhere, even when it's been magnified like this.

"Oh no ya don't, kid." A voice says before piling more blankets on his head. "You ain't goin' nowhere. Not until you're nice and warmed up. Got it?"

"Did I... fall asleep?"

"Yup. You were _this_ close to goin' into deep hibernation. You're lucky Morty found ya when he did."

"Morty? Was he... that blue guy?"

"Uh-huh. He's a nice troll, so long as ya don't owe 'em any money. Your gramps was out lookin' for you, so it'll be awhile before he gets back."

Jake, who had had _enough_ confusion for one day, thank you, pulled the corner of the blanket covering his face up so he could see just who he was talking to. "...Fu?"

"In the fur, kid." Fu nodded. Jake dumbly noted he was standing on two legs. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in. Just take a deep breath and let the blankets and heater do their work, alright? We'll talk it over after."

To numb from everything that had happened that day to argue or question it, Jake slowly nodded and dropped the corner, snatching his hand back under the pile so it could get warm. "Fu?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I?..."

"A bonafide dragon? You bet your scales."

"I was gonna say were-lizard, but whatever. Dragons are a lot cooler anyhow."

"Were-lizard's are pretty shady, kid. None too nice, neither. Don't hang 'round 'em if you can help it."

They chatted back and forth for awhile while Jake slowly gained more and more awareness of what was going on around him and just how _crazy_ this all was.

He was a dragon. Talking to a dog. A _talking_ dog.

"Alrighty, now that you're up and movin', I'd better give your gramps a call. I didn't want 'em in the shop while you were recovering; you know, to better my odds of survival because you almost went into hibernation."

Fu hopped off the guest bed and disappeared from the room, only to return moments later with a cell phone.

"Wait." Jake slapped a claw over the receiver before Fu could start dialing, slinking out of his blanket nest rather reluctantly. "Does gramps really have to know?"

Fu raised an eyebrow and set his free paw on his hip. "What are you- _of course_ he has to know! Sheesh. Look, if it makes ya feel any better, he's a dragon too, so he won't judge. Alright?"

"G's... a dragon?"

"'Course he is, kid. You had to get it from somewhere."

Jake sat back, trying to process the new info given to him before _something else_ was thrown into his face and knocked him off kilter _again_. "...What am I gonna tell my folks?" He said eventually.

Fu, phone to his ear, smiles at him wanly. "Your mom already knows, kid. And she's the only one that needs to."

* * *

"Alright, left wing done. Now the right one."

Jake stretched his right wing out as far as it could go, silently marveling at how strangely _right_ it feels to move a limb he didn't even _have_ yesterday. Fu grabbed it gently, careful not to cause any discomfort as he looked it over.

"Uh, Fu?"

"Uh-huh?" He mumbles as he works, distracted with making sure he doesn't miss anything.

"Do you really have to examine me?"

"It's a custom. Gotta make sure everything's workin' right. You think you're up to learning how to breathe fire?"

"I can already do that." He puffed out his chest proudly- finally, something he _knows_ how to do- and blew a small ball of fire, which, thankfully, dissolved before it could hit anything flammable. "See?"

"Hey, that's pretty good, kid." Fu looks surprised and impressed all at once. "You been practicin'?"

"Yeah. For awhile now, actually. I just thought I had some sorta superpower or somethin'."

"It's a superpower, alright. A real dangerous one. You're lucky ya' didn't burn something to the ground by accident."

Jake felt mildly offended, although he wasn't sure why. "Hey, I did burn something to the ground. Targets. Lot's of 'em."

Fu ran a paw across his muzzle. "Oh, boy. The council's gonna have a heyday with this one. Alright, let's check your height."

Jake blinked at him. "Uh..."

Fu fixed him a look. "You do know you can walk on two legs, right?"

"Well, I mean, I thought I could, but my back legs and..." He babbled.

"Normally it depends on the species, but you should be fine." Fu Dog held out his paws. "Come'on. I'll help."

Jake hesitantly took them and took a few wobbly steps. "There you go. See? Just takes practice."

"Why's this so hard?"

"Because you've been on all fours for hours now. Doin' that your first full transformation promotes a deficiency in walking with your back legs. You're lucky we could correct it before it was too late."

"Whoops?" He said sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Ain't your fault, kid. You didn't know. Come'on, let's try a few more, nice and easy."

It took some practice, but soon Jake could walk normally. Fu finished his examination without any delay.

"You're comin' along just fine. Couldn't be in better shape. 'Specially considering you almost took a snow nap." He grinned.

A half hour later the front door opened and shut. "Fu Dog?"

"Back here. Got the kid with me."

Lao Shi took his small coat off as quickly as possible, then walked into the back room. He peered through the door. "Jake?"

"Grandpa?" And if that wasn't a refreshing face to see- familiar and _human_ \- then nothing was.

The relief must've shown on his face. Lao Shi transformed without a word and floated over to pull him into a hug. "It will be okay, Jake. I promise."

And for the first time that night, Jake believed it.

He returned the old dragon's hug without a sound.

 **Author's Note: I don't know why, but every time I write ADJL, it always feels awkward or disjointed. A bit O.O.C. too, but whatever.**

 **This is gonna be a two-parter with a possible prologue. One chapter for Jake, one for Haley. I kinda wanted to write a thing about it being kinda painful and how they were really confused and stuff, but they never showed pain during their transformation's during the series, so it wouldn't really fit.**

 **That, and it's their natural form, so it shouldn't hurt for them to change. Change _back_ , maybe, but not forward.**

 **No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


	2. Haley

**Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon; Jake Long!**

 **Title: Rain Will Fall**

 **Summary: The first transformations are always the hardest.**

 **Warnings: The beginning might be a bit choppy.**

 **...**

 **werepirechick \- I actually talk about that this chapter a bit! =) It's a lot like that. They're still human, at least a little, considering their father, but the dragon in them is so much more prominent genetics-wise.**

 **Anon \- Thanks! =)**

 **Guest (June 23) \- Thank you! I appreciate it. =)**

 **MsMusicLover \- I loved the idea of 'were-lizard's', honestly. I can just see Jake going 'did I get bitten by a lizard at some point and just not know it, what the heck?'**

 **...**

It was _burning_ hot out.

At least, it felt like it was. Pulling at the stuffy sweater collar, Haley Long wondered how the teachers could be legally allowed to enforce the dress code on a day like today. Even more amazing was that her older, and taller (heat travels upwards), brother had waltzed out the front door in a long-sleeved jacket and could still say it was cold out.

She really wondered about him sometimes.

And, to top it all off, they'd gone on a field trip. Sure, her school took them on field trips all the time, but they never went to places like a forest. Or stayed in the country. It was a private school for a _reason,_ people! Couldn't they... spiff it up or something? Maybe go to an art museum somewhere instead of some random forest to 'study wildlife in it's natural environment'?

Pushing her way through some brambles, she imagined a thermometer rising all the way to the top and bursting open- the way they do in cartoons. She wasn't sure what the highest recorded temperature due to naturally occurring weather was, but she _was_ sure that this beat it. By a landslide. How could the others march along so easily in this?

Speaking of the others... where were they?

She warily looked around, every movement feeling like a fire cracker popping in her muscles. Her class was nowhere to be seen, and the path was missing from her feet. Had she stumbled off without knowing it?

She collapsed against a tree, panting. The temperature rose another few _hundred_ degrees. If she didn't know better, she'd swear she was on fire.

...

...

Wait.

What was that weird sensation?

Opening her eyes, she shifted her gaze down to her hands. The left one looked alright, but something was wrong with the right one. It was all yellow and red...

It took a second, but it finally clicked. Her hand was on fire. Her right hand was on fire. _She_ was on fire!

"Ahh!" She shrieked, jumping up with new-found energy. She swatted at her hand. "Fire! Fire!" Soon the other one caught fire. The flames spread to her knees, then down; the fire on her hands drew upwards.

She rolled, she swatted, she even threw herself into the nearby stream, but _nothing_ seemed to be working. Her energy spent, she sprawled across the ground as the fire covered her fully, squeezing her eyes shut in her panic.

Wait. Why wasn't it hurting? The fire covered her, but she wasn't feeling any pain or smelling any smoke.

Then she started _changing_.

Things extended from her back; her nails and teeth sharpened. Her skin gave way to purple scales.

She blacked out.

Waking up a few minutes later, she realized that the fire was out, and her body was starting to cool itself down.

She put a hand to her head. "Ugh, what happened?" She looked at her hand; purple scales and sharp claws. "Huh?"

Struggling to her feet (which didn't look much like feet anymore), she stumbled over to the glass-like stream. Holding her breath, she took a look at herself.

And screamed.

* * *

Jake Long was _tired_.

He always was nowadays. He'd only been in American dragon training for a few weeks now and he _already_ felt beaten into the ground. Training, magical creatures, school, Trixie and Spud, dad, _life_.

So he slept. Wherever and whenever he got a free second, he went to sleep. He didn't do much else lately, especially on the weekends.

"All he does is sleep." Jonathan grumbled, not unkindly, eyeing the boy currently out-cold on the couch. "Do you think something's wrong?"

"No, no, I doubt it." Susan waved her hands. "I'm sure he's just been busy with his friends."

The phone rang. Susan picked it up. "Hello? Er, yes, this is. Oh. Oh, dear. No, no, I'm sure it's nothing. Thank you for calling. Goodbye."

"What is it?"

"What, that?" She shrugged her shoulders. "The school called. Haley's running a little late."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure she's fine. Jake? Jake, can I speak to you in private?"

Jake stirred, if only a little. "Huh?"

"Us. Talk. Private." Susan grabbed him firmly by the arm and tugged him out of the room.

"Okay, okay." He jerked his arm out of her grip. "What's up?"

"Haley wandered off during the field trip."

Jake felt a twinge of worry despite himself. "Shouldn't we call the police?"

"Normally I'd say yes, but... Jake, it's almost _that_ time. just... _go check_ for me? If you can't find her..." She sighed. " _Then_ we'll risk going to the police."

"Okay." He nodded. "Tell dad I went to hang out with Trixie and Spud, okay?"

She didn't reply. Jake grabbed his jacket and slipped out the door.

* * *

"Okay, okay. Don't freak out. It's just scales." Haley paused. "And claws. And wings." She shook herself. "I can handle this. It's _no big deal_."

But what would her family think? She couldn't just _go home_ like this, could she? Her father would have a heart attack.

And mom... what _would_ mom do?

No. She shook the thought away. She would have to ease them into this slowly. But how?

Haley curled in on herself and kept walking. She'd discovered she could walk on two legs almost immediately after changing, but she was starting to regret not staying still. She was only getting herself more and more lost.

She could say it was a defect, but that wasn't really the truth, was it? You were born with defects. Haley wasn't _born_ like this.

(She didn't think. She'd never seen any baby pictures of herself _or_ Jake, now that she thought about it. She was fairly sure they didn't exist. Curious.)

It certainly couldn't be counted as a disability, but, if not, then what? She couldn't just go up to them like this and say 'surprise' now, could she?

"Come'on, Long. You're smart. You can figure this out."

What would _Jake_ think? It was hard for her to pinpoint him sometimes- he had a habit of switching between immature and surprisingly sensitive at the drop of a hat- but if her own _brother_ freaked out, then what hope did she have for her parents?

That's around the time it started to rain.

* * *

"Ugh." Jake grumbled as the first droplets of rain hit his face, shaking them off. "Just great."

He didn't pretend to be a fan of rain. And after all he'd went through in it, who could blame him?

Eventually the rain got too heavy to see through easily, making Jake rely more on his sense of smell and hearing to find his way. He didn't have to look very long, however.

Haley, in a vain attempt to get out of the rain, had ducked under the roots of a tree that had become slightly uprooted from the ground. A wild animal- of the magical variety, considering the spines on its back and pig-like body- was curiously pacing around the hole in search of a place to hide.

Jake landed behind it and swished his tail menacingly. The creature squealed and disappeared into the bushes.

"Haley?" He called, turning back into his- very wet, might he add, with none of his dragon side's scaly protection- human form. "Haley, you in there?"

"Go away!"

"Hey, it's me. Jake. Mom sent me to pick you up."

"I don't care! I'm not coming out!"

"Haley, if you don't hurry up you're gonna get sick and _I'm_ gonna get in trouble for it."

The small body inside shifted around. "I can't go home like this!"

Jake sighed and crouched down, setting his hand on the ground in front of her, palm up. "Haley, look."

He transformed again without another word. Haley couldn't see most of him from her hiding place, but she could see the red _claw_ staring her in the face. "Jake?"

"Yes, Jake. Now get your butt out here."

Haley gingerly crawled out, shivering. "Jake? W-What's going on? Why do you look like-"

"Come'on, Haley." He interrupted with a small smile. "You're smarter than that. Why do _you_ think we look like this?"

She didn't say anything a long moment. "Is it... genetic?"

"Bingo." He bent down and picked her up. "I'll explain on the way."

* * *

Haley found herself feeling surprisingly at home in the air- albeit a tad uncomfortable, curled up in Jake's scaly arms. She clung to this feeling as best she could as Jake answered her questions.

"You know, it's kinda funny." He says. "My first transformation was during a rainstorm. Must be a trigger or something."

She took it all in quietly, then forced her eyes open to look up at the figure of her older brother flying rather gracefully through the air. "Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going?"

"Gramp's shop. We need to get you back before you start falling into hibernation- or the cops start lookin' for ya'. Whichever happens first."

"Hibernation?" That made sense, she supposed. "What about you?"

"Me?"

"Y'know, hibernation." She slurred, yawning. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Oh. Nah. I'll be fine. I know how to control my inner flame. It'd be hard to get me to fall into hibernation now." He paused. "That doesn't mean I don't feel sleepy sometimes in the winter, though. But you'll get used to it."

"I will?"

"I dunno. Probably." Another pause. "You're gonna have to get used to your form switchin' up on ya', by the way. It does that from time to time. Kinda like dragon puberty, only it doesn't happen at a certain age. G says we'll probably end up looking more like the Chinese side of the dragon family by the time we're done. Just a warning."

They flew the rest of the way in silence. Jake landed on the roof of the store without a sound, shifting her so she was covered by one of his wings.

"Fu!" He kicked at the closed door irritably. "Fu, open up!"

Haley blinked, sure she had misheard. "Grandpa's dog?"

"Yup." He flashed her a toothy grin. "It's a long story."

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" A voice called. "Seriously, kid, could you make a bigger ruc- oh."

Fu took one look at Jake, tired and soaked to the bone, then Haley, sleepy and bruised, and jerked his thumb behind him. "I'll go get 'em. You start warmin' her up."

Jake grunted his agreement.

Closing the door behind him with his tail, Jake carried her down the steps and into the back room, uncharacteristically silent. He set her down next to the heater and went to move away. Haley weakly clawed at him, feeling the chill much easier now that they were apart. "Wait. I don't wanna be alone like this."

"Yup. Gimme a second."

Jake disappeared for a few seconds before reappearing with a pile of blankets, which he promptly dropped on her. He took a seat next to her, quietly watching her untangle herself enough to wrap the blankets around her shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

"Yup. Why?"

"I don't know." She shrugs. "You're just being really quiet, is all."

He shrugged in turn and leaned back, resting his head against the wall. "'M _tired_."

"Oh." She shifted guiltily. "Sorry you had to go looking for me."

"Better me than a normal human. It's fine."

Lao Shi appeared soon after. "Oh, dear."

"Granpa?" She whimpered, cold and wet and _tired._

"Yes." He gently lifted her out of the blankets. "Don't worry, I will walk you through changing back. We'll have you home to your parents by the morning."

At first the idea of changing back made her feel ecstatic, but the final product, the body she'd felt so _comfortable_ in just hours before, suddenly felt alien. Not _unnatural_ , just... strange. Not quite fitting, but still hers. She shivered, curling in on herself. "I feel cold."

"That's because of your transformation. Dragon's typically run a much higher temperature than humans. You'll learn to control that as you learn to change at will."

Jake shifted back to normal with a sigh. "I'd better go call mom."

"What about dad?" She asks, despite herself.

Jake and their grandfather exchanged a look. "You tell her." The older man says. Jake looked appalled.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"But you're the elder here; ain't it your job to-"

"Jake. You're her brother. If she's going to hear it from someone, it would come best from you." The old man paused. "I will call her for you."

"Ugh, lousy old man." He grumbles once he leaves the room, sinking into his seat. He massaged the bridge of his nose.

Haley found herself feeling surprisingly timid. She wasn't scared of Jake- never had been, never would be-, but... she _was_ scared of whatever it was he was going to say. "Tell me what?"

" _Okay_... Long story short; mom knows, dad doesn't. Don't tell him. Like, ever. He'd freak."

"But-!" She stopped herself, because it makes _sense_. Jonathan was a good father, but he had his limits like everyone else. Haley couldn't blame him if he reacted badly to finding out his own _children_ were scaly _monsters_.

She buried his head in Jake's chest, feeling tears well up. For the first time since she was little, he didn't complain. "It's not fair."

Jake sighed and shook his head, haphazardly wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Nope. It's not. Better get used to it, though. 'Cause that's how it's gotta be."

 **Author's Note: So... Honest time.**

 **I kinda had the beginning of this written out a long time ago. That's why the writing style might be a bit off. This was originally going to be a oneshot, exploring Haley as she went through her first transformation. But then I lost interest and left it alone... for a year? Yeah. About a year. The paper- hidden away amongst the piles of unfinished stuff I've got on my shelf- was kinda yellow-ish when I dug it out.**

 **I was going to leave it unfinished, but then I came up with Jake's chapter and I thought 'hey, this could be a good two-three chapter thing!' and got to work.**

 **Random Fact Of The Day: The third chapter, which I might write someday (but no promises) was actually just going to be the two of them flying around at night and generally getting on each others nerves.**

 **No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


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